Gadgetopia

Despite reports, Grokster decision is a win for file sharing: Andrew Kantor argues that the Grokster decision was actually a big win for file-sharing.

[…] the Supreme Court ruled that Grokster and StreamCast cannot claim the same protection, because — and the “because” is the part that most people seem to have missed — they actively encouraged piracy.

Essentially, Kantor argues, the Court did not invalidate the Betamax decision, but only said you can’t hide behind it if you encourage piracy. If not, then Betamax may very well still apply.